What happens when a mature woman falls victim to the allure of the modern Asian Ball Jointed Doll? Will the devious doll divas succeed in separating balljointedwoman from her hard earned cash? Which diva will earn herself a new fashion this week? Stay tuned for the latest installment of As the Resin World Turns.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Keeping One Step Ahead of Irene

I am writing a day earlier than usual. Hurricane Irene is on its way and Resin Corner is in its path. This part of the Northeast rarely gets hurricanes. We also rarely get earthquakes, but last week we felt a wee tremble from the quake way down in Virginia and this week there was a smaller quake closer to home. A hurricane no longer sounds altogether unlikely.

Heavy rains and high winds tend to bring down trees, which in turn bring down power lines. No power = no computer access = no blog. So, ready or not, tonight we blog!

Last week found me rushing to make an outfit for Kaye Wiggs Fair Elf Layla. I need not have hurried. The first half of the doll orders went out and I did not receive a shipping notice. That means my Layla will arrive in the second wave, presumably in the coming week. With the sense of urgency gone, I let myself slack off. The outfit is not done.

Instead of sewing, I brought Elfdoll Sooah out of storage. She is one of the dolls I put away when I listed my home for sale. There is a theory that buyers do not like to see "collections" in the homes they view, and another that people find dolls to be creepy. My realtor was kind enough to assure me that my dolls are not creepy. At the same time he advised me to stow some of them out of sight. After a year of very little activity on the real estate market, I have decided to let the listing expire (3 weeks to go!) and to rescue my dolls from exile.

One reason I brought out Sooah first was because I need new photographs of her. I am planning a photo book featuring my dolls. In reviewing the photos I had already taken, I realized that I did not have a good portrait of Sooah in her 1790 dress (Adams Harris Patterns). This is an outfit that has not seen the light of day for two years. Every once in a while it surfaces when I am looking for something else. I look at it and think: I really like this dress. I should let Sooah wear it again.

So I took it out and ironed it. As I dressed Sooah in the various pieces, I noticed things that could have been done better, like the apron ties. Originally I used a variegated ribbon because it was the closest match to the off-white apron. Unfortunately, the color transition from white to light tan made it look like I had scorched the ribbon with a too-hot iron. I replaced the ribbon with snaps. (I don't know why I didn't just sew the apron to the skirt.) I also replaced the hook and loop closure on the skirt with a snap set. It's neater and more secure. I am still debating whether to sew ribbons to the inside of the skirt. They would enable me to tie the overskirt up into a pouf as in the pattern illustration. Maybe I'll do it later. It's not essential to her portrait.

I was eager to see how Sooah would look in the brown updo from LeekeWorld. I like how it looks with her darker eyebrows. A few silk flowers for interest, and Sooah was ready for her close-up.

I should make another version of this dress -- one with longer lace on the sleeves and perhaps a wider skirt. Hmm... I seem to remember a length of cloth in Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. Mardi Gras came and went and I never even started the dress. Must have a look in my fabric stash.

Irene Update: Sunday night. I think Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a Tropical Storm before she got here. Rained all day, heavy at times. Some wind, although nothing like what was predicted. Tomorrow will see flooded roads for sure.

Oh, and I finished the outfit for Layla today, but you'll have to wait for her arrival to see it.